Former Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington takes over as Los Angeles Angels manager for 2024 (AP file photo)
Headline Sports podcast with Jessica:
#1 The Los Angeles Angels hired former Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington to manage the Halos for the 2025 season. Washington a long time third base coach for the Oakland A’s and Atlanta Braves finally gets another opportunity to manage again.
#2 Washington is the one of two black managers in MLB the other is the Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Washington becomes the oldest manager in the big leagues.
#3 The Oakland A’s extended Mark Kotsay’s contract through 2025 despite the A’s having the worst record in baseball last season. Kotsay knew he would be fielding a team that would be consisting of rookies, free agents, draft picks and players that no team would promote and with that in mind that did rally around Kotsay and avoided tying or surpassing the 1962 New York Mets who has baseball’s worst record.
#4 After winning their first five games the San Francisco 49ers are on a three game loss streak going to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars who have won their last give games after losing their first three games. This could be seen as a pretty even match this Sunday.
#5 After 11 straight loses the San Jose Sharks turned it around on Tuesday night and defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in San Jose. The Sharks longest streak losing streak in their history. Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood said it was relief to finally have won a game and it’s a weight that has been lifted.
Texas Rangers Corey Seager (5) seen here running the bases after slugging a bottom of the sixth inning home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Globe Life Ballpark in Arlington on Fri Jul 21, 2023. In the next game Seager on Sat Jul 22, 2023 was out of the line up due to a sprained right thumb. (AP News photo)
On the MLB The Show podcast with Charlie O:
#1 Charlie, the Texas Rangers have put shortstop Corey Seager on the 10 day IL due to a right thumb sprain. Seager came up with the injury on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers an MRI showed no structural damage.
#2 Charlie, the Dodgers really miss pitcher Clayton Kershaw he’s been out since Jun 27. Saturday Kershaw threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session and is expected to another one on Monday this time facing live hitting. Manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw looked “well” and said it’s a step by step situation on getting Kershaw to return. Kershaw has been going through left shoulder soreness.
#3 The Texas Rangers who had five starters at the All Star Game in Seattle in the middle of this month had right fielder Adolis Garcia out got hit in his right hand by Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller. Garcia leads the American League with 80 RBIs so there is little doubt that they’ll miss his bat if he is out for a length of time. X-Rays showed negative on his hand but Garcia is still being evaluated by team physicians.
#4 Charlie, tough break for the St Louis Cardinals Wilson Contreras who left Saturday’s game with a hip injury. Contreras slugged for two RBIs when he hit a double in the fifth inning against his former team the Dodgers. Contreras has to leave the game in the sixth inning and was replaced by Ivan Herrera.
#5 The Nevada teachers are serious Charlie they are in their third week of gathering petitions to stop the use of the $380 million in public money for the A’s new Tropicana ballpark and want to put public monies towards education. Nevada is 49th in education and the educators and teachers are looking for support from the voters. Charlie this might be Oakland’s last chance to keep the team in Oakland if the Nevada educators get enough signatures and pass the referendum to stop public money being spent on the Tropicana ballpark.
Former New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon throws out the first ball on the seventh anniversary of his home run. Colon will be honored celebrating his retirement by the Mets when they host the Los Angeles Angels on Aug 26, 2023 at Citi Field. (AP file photo)
On the MLB podcast with Charlie O:
#1 Bartolo Colon the former Oakland A’s and New York Mets pitcher will get a great send off at Citi Field on Aug 26th. Colon 50 who retired in 2018 finally will get his well deserved retirement party. Colon pitched for 21 years and on 11 MLB teams.
#2 He came riding high and with all the attributes and predictions of being a big league superstar and someone who could nothing short of making the Hall of Fame ballot with the talent he brought as a big league pitcher. Stephen Strasburg was a 2019 World Series MVP and signed a seven year $245 million contract with the Washington Nationals since 2020 he’s pitched only eight times, two times in 2020 and has suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome in his pitching arm. It was reported that Strasburg could return soon but is still suffering severe nerve damage.
#3 Charlie O, the Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts is doing it all and has been tabbed the “modern day Rickey Henderson” Betts whose in the leadoff role for Los Angeles is hitting .263, 57 hits, 45 runs, 15 home runs and 36 RBIs for this season. “It’s a pretty cool comparison, being compared to Rickey, but Rickey was a different breed,” said Betts.
#4 With the bases loaded for the Chicago White Sox in the bottom of the tenth inning the White Sox Tim Anderson at the plate and two outs with Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Jose Cisnero trying to work his way out of the inning Cisnero thought he got the signal to throw a sink when Tigers catcher Eric Haase called for a slider. The pitch didn’t sink and got away and hit home plate umpire Corey Blaser in the face mask knocking him to the ground. It was a live ball and it allowed the Sox Andrew Benintendi to score from third for the walk off wild pitch giving the White Sox the 2-1 win. Blaser is under observation and doctor’s care.
#5 Charlie O, the vote for relocating the Oakland A’s could come right down the owners vote during the week of Jun 13-15th. The A’s according to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred will not be charged for a relocation fee. The other MLB owners have not objected at least to the media or sources about the A’s not having to pay a relocation fee. The A’s and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo have an agreement on the funding of the new ballpark for $1.5 billion contingent on the Nevada Legislature’s approval. To show you that the assembly is under pressure by residents mostly who oppose the new ballpark they’re haggling amongst each other on how to vote and the deadline is Mon Jun 5th in 24 hours to vote as the session is ending.
San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado follows through on an RBI-double during the third inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oct. 12, 2022, in Los Angeles. Machado said is opting out after the 2023 season and will look for a new team. (AP News file photo)
On the MLB podcast with Charlie O:
#1 San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado comes into camp saying he’s opting out of his contract after the 2023 before the first pre season pitch has been thrown. Charlie do you think that after Juan Soto came on board with the team he’s feeling like some of his thunder has been stolen and it’s time to shine somewhere else or is Manny being Manny?
#2 Charlie talk about the Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts saying the Dodgers are rejuvenated after last year’s playoff melt down loss to the San Diego Padres. Roberts brought some very positive vibes to the clubhouse at the start of spring training saying he loves his job and that helps bring a great attitude to start the season.
#3 Charlie got to ask about what do you think about what Carlos Rodon said that the New York Yankees fans are more invested in the organization than San Francisco Giants fans are. Rodon also said win or lose you won’t get booed in San Francisco and that Yankee fans care alot. Seems like Rodon likes the grittiness and straight talk of Yankee fans.
#4 Charlie, talk about the Yankees Aaron Judge after all that shopping around by other teams and some by himself during the off season he’s back in the Big Apple and coming off that 62 home run season from last year. What’s the expectation for him in 2023.
#5 Charlie, didn’t get to talk to you about the passing of former Giant broadcaster and former St Louis Cardinal Tim McCarver whose career included a trip to the Hall of Fame and the Ford C Frick wing. McCarver not shy for words no doubt wrote his own Hall of Fame speech.
Hall of Famer Willie Mays stands with Pamela Irvin Fields, second from left, and Patricia Irvin Gordon, right, the daughters of Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, before the start of an opening day baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday, April 7, 2016, in San Francisco. At left is Giants pitcher Sergio Romo. The daughters of Irvin, who died in January, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. (Jason Watson/POOL via AP)
By Morris Phillips
Talk about tight scheduling. One inning after the Dodgers’ flirtation with pitching history ended, the Giants’ Opening Day offensive fireworks display commenced.
Alex Wood extended the Dodgers’ season-opening scoreless pitching streak to 31 innings–one inning short of the major-league record established in 1963–then fell into trouble in the fifth inning. The Giants scored three times, the first significant blow in a 17-hit attack that carried them past the Dodgers, 12-6 in the team’s home opener.
Angel Pagan delivered a two-run single in the sixth that gave the Giants their first lead, 5-4. Then in the eighth, Hunter Pence capped the Giants’ scoring with a grand slam off J.P. Howell. In all, 11 Giants came up with at least one hit, led by Joe Panik and Buster Posey with three each.
“It can look awfully dim, like it did there for a while today, and then turn,” starting pitcher Jake Peavy said of the period where the Giants trailed 4-0. “That’s one thing about this team we always talk about: this team plays 27 outs, then let the chips fall where they may.”
The Dodgers came into the first of 19 games between the longtime rivals both limping and thriving, after sweeping the Padres in San Diego without allowing a run, despite opening the season with 10 players on the disabled list. Their surprising start continued with the appearance of Peavy, who didn’t have his best stuff, allowing the Dodgers 10 hits and four runs before he was lifted after five innings.
In contrast, the Giants opened with a 12-run outburst in Milwaukee, but were far off of that offensive output in their following two games, totaling five runs while splitting the final two games against the Brewers. But Thursday was a reminder that the Giants’ lineup—in full health—could be among the best in the major leagues, with their ability to attack both big and small. Included in the Giants’ hit barrage Thursday were bunt singles by Kelby Tomlinson and Denard Span, along with four extra-base hits including Pence’s slam.
Through four games, five Giants’ regulars—Posey, Panik, Pagan, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford—are all hitting .333 and above to rank among the NL’s top 30 hitters.
Once Peavy departed, and the Giants struck for their initial three runs, Chris Heston made his season debut, pitching one scoreless inning and picking up the win. Dodgers’ starter Wood was chased in the sixth after allowing the first two hitters to reach. Then Yimi Garcia came on, and gave up the two-run single to Pagan, and RBI hits to Panik and Posey.
In all, the Giants delivered eight hits with runners in scoring position, and like they did in the opener, showed the ability to hit deep in counts, one way to surely frustrate opposing pitchers.
“All the way down the line, and even a lot of our pitchers, we can hit,” Pence said. “It makes everyone better. We’ve got a lot of guys who are going to keep competing with you no matter what you’ve got.”
Former Giant Dave Roberts assumed the managerial position for the Dodgers this winter after Don Mattingly was fired. So far, the former player under Giants’ skipper Bruce Bochy has had a comfortable ride, but things get tougher on Friday night when he turns to 26-year old rookie Ross Stripling making his major league debut on the mound. The Dodgers currently are without injured starting pitchers Brett Anderson, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Matt Cain will make the start for the Giants with game time set for 7:15pm.
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